Buyer`s Market

Wpwr`s Neal Sabin Is In Fat City: He`s Got The Time, They`ve Got The Shows

January 18, 1991|By Gary Dretzka.

NEW ORLEANS — Neal Sabin, program director of Chicago`s WPWR-Ch. 50, entered the exhibition hall of the convention center here as if he were a young boy walking into the world`s biggest toy store.

Sabin was in the Crescent City this week, together with about 8,000 other TV industry movers and shakers, for the annual convention of the National Association of Television Program Executives. The association is known as TV`s programming marketplace, and the toys on display were the shows and movie packages being made available to stations across the U.S. and several other nations: non-network fare that ranges from reruns of ``Murphy Brown`` to such first-run series as ``The Adventures of Superboy`` and oddities like

``Hitler`s Home Movies.``

Because WPWR is a respected and adventurous independent station in an industry known more for caution, and because it is not limited, as some superstations are, by exclusivity laws and affiliations to other media groups, Sabin would be courted here by suppliers eager to fill all 168 hours of his schedule. This was his playground.

Despite the success of syndicated programming and many independent stations in certain established timeslots, such as news and network fringe hours (witness the success of WGN-Ch. 9`s reruns of ``Hunter`` at 10:30 p.m.), the general mood at this year`s marketplace was gloomy.

The Persian Gulf, the reality of recession and declining viewer numbers all worked to muffle the usual carnival atmosphere. But Sabin appeared confident and buoyant as he strolled down the carpeted aisles (surrounded by garish booths and glittering displays for too many deservedly obscure celebrities) with general sales manager Richard Engberg.

They were immediately recognized, greeted and wooed by an impressive number of sales representatives from media companies both mammoth and minute. Hype and a groan

Among the first such pursuers was Susan Cho of tiny World Events Productions of St. Louis, who grabbed Sabin and pulled him into the exhibit area to persuade WPWR to buy a show called ``First Encounters`` (a

``combination of `Love Connection` and `Candid Camera` ``) and a superhero cartoon show, ``Vulcano,`` that would be available in 1992. Cho, using slides instead of a pilot program to promote the shows, wanted to nail WPWR early, mostly to impress programmers in other markets, but also because Sabin`s time might soon be absorbed by other suppliers.

Business at the convention is conducted in small viewing rooms filled with plush furniture, glossy brochures and thousands of dollars worth of electronic equipment. Just outside is a buffet, a bar and a receptionist clad in the uniform of the week for female employees: a tight black dress cut about four inches above the knee, black stockings and heels (men, of course, are stuck with conservative gray suits, bright ties and tassled loafers). The bigger the company, the larger the spread and more expansive the crowd.

Cho, who wanted to sell ``Vulcano`` not only to WPWR but also to cable systems in Pacific Rim countries, gave Sabin and Engberg an impressive sales pitch that included assurances of demographic rewards, lucrative ad splits and potential marketing tie-ins, to which Sabin countered that he might be interested if an equity position for his station was involved.

Cho groaned, made a face and called in another World Events executive, who indicated that almost anything could be worked out. Hands were shaken all around, but it was early and no deals were made.

Talk about talk

Without walking too far among the 270 exhibits, it became clear that

``talk TV`` was the trend for fall. This, as opposed to the ``trash TV``

Jenny Jones, whose show will air from, and may be taped at, the NBC Tower. That`s a lot of talk.

``Reality-based`` tabloid shows such as ``Hard Copy`` and ``Inside Edition`` (both renewed) will be joined by at least two shows featuring camcorder-wielding ambulance chasers. Three other shows will center on true-life love stories, while a couple of proposed programs would allow